Breakout
by prismdreams
Summary: <html><head></head>John never had a problem shutting people out of his head. It compromised better judgements and distracted his main focus to keep everyone just like him safe from a world that fears them. It was easier to live that way, nobody could break him, not even Audrey Andrews.</html>
1. Duress

_**A/N:** Hey guys, this is a story I am currently writing as I go and it's going to be a story centering around John and the OC mostly. With a bit of Cara mixed in. Hope you like it, I just got done watching Season 1 of TTP I felt compelled to write a story about the show. When you have finished reading each chapter, review to let me know what you thought. I would prefer to hear from you personally. Thank you! On to the story. :-)_

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><p><strong>Prologue: Duress<strong>

John's POV

Our kind can't kill...so _they_ think.

At least not the case with me. Cara is getting suspicious and Stephen is fighting his own battles with Ultra.

Me? Nobody knows. Nobody _should_ know either. They wouldn't trust me anymore or hold me as their leader if they found out I was lying to them all along.

But I want to tell them. I want to tell somebody. I can't describe how it feels to hold this secret in for so long. To know I was a lethal weapon for Jedikiah.

I don't believe anyone would understand it. So I had to close myself off to people, to everyone, blocking intrusions to my mind and entire history.

The unfiltered truth.

I am a monster. I thought I was doing right by my job, my mission. I was assured this and didn't question authority, I couldn't question them. Once I was made this way I couldn't go back. This was my doing and I had to live with the ramifications of what it did, what it's still doing to me.

There is no going back to the way things were. If everyone in our hideout knew who I really am, god, I don't want to confront what would happen, not even in my deeply buried thoughts.

I feel imprisoned in the choices I made. Watching this team try to survive, helping them along the way, being there for each other, that's what I need to care about. Not this distraction, I just have to put more walls up than I already have.

I can't let this get to me anymore. Cara is starting to see cracks in my character. I can't let the real me slip through. Everybody, new and old breakouts are freaked out enough, having to hide from the rest of the human race.

But we are humans. We _mean_ something. We are the next stage of human evolution. Why do we have to fight so hard for our lives?

We are superior, most of us can't kill, true, but that doesn't mean accidents can't happen.

I've been lying to everybody I care about. I've been living a lie. And I hate myself everyday for it. With each second I die inside, putting on this tough exterior so nobody around me crumbles. We can't afford to. I can't let that happen.

We are the tomorrow people. We are the future. And the future is not set...yet. But it can change if we want it too.

I broke out of my daze when I heard the door behind me swing open.

"John, it's happening...another breakout. She needs our help." Cara said urgently.

No matter how many times we've been doing this I still worry about the fate of our species.


	2. Focus

_**A/N:** The rest of the story will be told in third person from now on. Let me know what you think of it so far. I have more planned for the characters. Italics will be used for telepathic thoughts exchanged.  
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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Focus<strong>

She looked around, checking for the SWAT team shoveling out of the dubious black SUV. They were chasing her and she didn't understand why.

Certain she lost them, she ducked and surveyed again. Clear. At least she thought so. Her heart pounded roughly. Willing to control it she could feel it slow down the deeper her breaths had gotten. She had to calm down before another panic attack set in. Anger triggered the fulcrum to her special ability. The cold mist over her face made the condensation sting her nerves.

She took cover behind a dank, even darker alley. Knowing she wasn't going to last long if she continued stalling, the familiar worrying had set in. No, she wasn't going to cry. She couldn't afford emotional distractions. She was being tracked, she had to think and act fast. Where to go?

Underground, it was a risk, she'd be lost again, away from city life, almost too distant from what she knew. But what was more important?

Split decision, she peeled her body off the wall scuffling to the other end of the alley. Her breathing sped up as she crouched down to make sure she wasn't completely seen. Even the smallest sight of flesh would give her away.

This wasn't right. Why were they doing this? Why or who was after her? She has no known enemies and she was very discreet when it came to who she really was. Her foster parents didn't care, they worked all the time. Or in their words "making sure there is a roof over everyone's head and food on the plate." They were emotionally abusive, having high standards, but they never really knew her. They didn't _want_ to know her. Somehow she believed her parents thought they wanted to care for her. But in the end, they failed and didn't want to admit it.

Her family probably knew and told the school. Trepidation clouded as she begun to collect her thoughts.

They were a mess, she was at a dead end.

_Audrey, stop running. Listen...can you hear me? Use your emotions. Your life depends on it._

She thought she was hallucinating again. The gruffly controlled voice came again, it said her name, more fervent this time. Like a general commanding orders.

_I need you to pay attention, you're in danger, I can feel it. Don't talk with your voice, use your mind, project your words to me using only your mind. Don't be afraid, I can hear everything._

She opened her mouth and almost spoke but covered it with her hands. Her eyes went big as her brain, almost immediately as if in a mechanically way, followed the directions of the voice she heard.

_How can you hear me? Who are you? How do you know my name?_

_Please just listen, there's a warehouse near the building you're leaning against. I want you when it's safe to go inside it and wait, shut and lock the door behind you._

Audrey grabbed her head in agony. She could hear the voice so clearly, but it was like a muscle she hadn't stretched before exercising.

_This is new to you. Who you are. Trust me. I will make sure you're safe. Go. Now._

Her head dropped at the sound of a gun shot, she bolted up in alert and ran without thinking to the next building, looking for the back door. She panicked when she couldn't find the handle.

"Shit...not happening. What the..." she looked around for something to break open the door.

She used her mind to speak back to the voice in her head.

_Hey! How do I get inside?_

_Audrey, it's too dangerous to go top side. You can do this, I know you can._

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't know what was happening. Sweat came to her cheeks as her disheveled hair stuck to her skin.

_Do what?! What do I need to do?  
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_Follow my voice. Calm your mind for a moment and find me. I know you can do this..._

"There she is, behind the building, tracker picked up the signal! Go!" She heard the SWAT team call out.

She had to think quick. How was she supposed to stay calm in a moment like this? Who would?

_How do I do this? Help me?! Hello! Where are you?!_

She banged on the door as hard as she could suddenly with all her strength and stumbled through the room. She got up quickly and slammed the door, locking it.

_Do it! Use your mind, you can control it._

_Do what?! I don't understand! What am I supposed to do?!_

"Inside, blow the locks. He wants her alive..." Came from outside near her.

Audrey pulled her body off the door and hid to the far corner of the back room. Her back knocked over empty crate boxes and she screamed in terror, wondering when this was going to be over.

_Focus, Audrey. Focus on my voice. Find me._

Her lips shivered, she looked around quickly and blanked out. This was _not_ happening.

_I can't. I don't know how._

_Project everything using your mind. Just like you are doing with me in your head, use all your emotions Audrey. Find me. Now!_

The locks had blown off the door and the snipers were fired instantly into her direction.

"No." She yelled, holding her hand out in front of her face, stopping the darts coming her way.

Her eyes bulged out as the bullets that were mid-air instantly dropped to the ground. Suddenly she came back and remembered what the voice helping her said.

_How do I find you?! Help me, please!  
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She let out a blood curdling scream, ejecting her body as if it were flying through time. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she dropped face down with a thug on the metal floor of a subway train.

At first she didn't know if she'd been dreaming or if this actually happened. She was hearing things again, but it was different. This time it was like the person knew her, knew what she could do. How did they know?

She slowly regained consciousness and tried to pick herself up, fighting through the shooting pain in her shoulders that was spreading to the rest of her body. Shivering, she was unable to fully fight it. The train was moving pretty rapidly and she had to steady herself so she wouldn't fall on her face again. This had to be a nightmare. How did she get here? Was she dropped by someone or...she didn't want to think about the or, she just wanted some answers.

Who were those people? Why were they after her? What just happened back there with those bullets?

_Audrey, wait..._

She looked around and she realized the voice was in her head again. Was this in reality or had she dozed off already from the pain?

She felt like she might be dozing off right now; with her eyes growing heavy and her body feeling as if it came off a roller coaster after twenty rides. She slumped back on the ground, feeling light as a feather.

Soon she wasn't feeling anything...far as she was concerned.


	3. Main Priority

**Chapter 2: Main Priority**

John Young sat in the a back room of the main office. He laid on the couch trying to calm his thoughts from what just happened with the new breakout.

He'd never felt a stronger telepath before. Maybe with Cara once upon a time, but this girl was different; she answered his call on the first response. That has never been done by anyone he knew. Audrey was different than the rest. He had to know what exactly made her so strong, even at the breakout stage.

Normally with each person going through the changes there are stages involving many emotions interspersed together. It can be extremely hard to make sense of anything when you first find them growing inside you. Audrey bloomed very late, well past adolescence, that was also odd to their kind. Tomorrow people start to breakout during their first moments of puberty, including John's own personal breakout.

Audrey was an adolescent, still not old enough to drink, possibly, but old enough to vote, live on her own and fend for herself. Why did she react so late? He wondered. What was in her blood that made her seem so...mysterious to him? He couldn't understand it. Maybe after some tests have been done the team will find some solutions.

If there was anything John hated, it was not knowing something that hasn't been explained yet. Even with TIM helping the crew out, they were still waiting for the results to come up.

"TIM, do you know anything yet?" John asked, looking to the widescreen projector.

"John, I calculated a basic status of Audrey's back story, nothing involving her genetics history. Pulling up the vitals up now."

Russell Kwon walked in the room eying TIM then John.

"How is she?" John asked, unsure of the answer.

"She's alright, still sleeping from the wild ride she just had."

John nodded, sitting up straight, clasping his hands together.

"Where's Cara?"

Russell shrugged, "She and a few others went top side to get dinner. We need some grub in this joint. Too much junk food doesn't make a body good."

Ordinarily Russell's quips would make him slightly smirk, but John had better things to occupy his mind with than dinner.

"She needs to come back, it's been long enough to just teleport and walk around in New York to steal food. Cara should know better."

"Ah, she will. The list wasn't that long and I told her to check out this really sweet Korean barbeque place in the West Village. Luckily enough, totally Ultra-free."

John stood from the couch and leaned against the desk, crossing his arms. He stood there for a long moment as Russell stared on.

"Man, if you didn't block my attempts to find out what you're thinking so much, people would know not to ask you."

John's brows twisted in confusion. "What?"

Russell shrugged. He knew he wasn't going to get very far but he still brought it up anyway.

"You man, it's like the answers you give have to be 10 words or less. It's rare when you just talk, you know, shoot the shit. I realize we're stuck down here until it stops, which is probably going to be for a long time, but dude, you're all business it seems."

John's mind went on full recluse mode. He didn't want to have to explain himself to Russell, even if his friend was making a valid point. John just wasn't _that_ guy. Not even with Cara, which put a recent strain on their relationship.

John gruffly cleared his throat, throwing all those personal feelings away like a soldier would before battle.

"It _has_ to be Russell, sorry I don't have the time to be so frivolous. I have to make sure you're all alive. It's my main priority. Being anti-social is the least of my concerns."

"Just saying...I'm your best friend, even I don't know what you're thinking 99% of the time."

John kept his cool, but it didn't stop him from forming a fist. "I hope Cara didn't put you up to this, we're very discreet when we talk to each other."

"She didn't John, I'm just asking." Russell cleared his throat. "You're a lot more closed off than ever since last week. Look, I know you're not that dude who'll just open up, I don't know a lot of guys who are. But if you wanna talk, I'll spot you. I'll just listen, as your friend. No judgements."

_But you would judge me Russell, that's the problem._ John was a professional at blocking fellow telepaths from his deep secrets. Even from close confidants. It's just the way it is.

"There isn't anything to share Russell, Cara has no reason to think I would hide anything from the lair. I'm only focused on keeping our kind out of the trenches from the main threats and you know this." John said, wanting the subject to drop as he shifted his weight.

"Alright, man. I'll go check on Irene, maybe she'll tell me something about this girl." Russell spoke, leaving the office without another word.

John nodded almost numbly and shut his eyes. When he opened them he began to walk out of the office and into the center foyer of the lair. New breakouts intermixed with veteran tomorrow people were in small groups, trying to bond, make friends, share jokes, play games and just relax from the life they were forced to combat daily.

John sometimes felt like it was all a burden. That he, the leader of the lair couldn't show how he really felt to the ones he protected. If he fell apart at the seams, his entire existence would fail and he couldn't allow that to happen. John had thought about it many times too. He longed to just be vulnerable, show his human side, if only for a few moments. Just to know how it felt like to be heard and listened to other then divvying out orders and rules for the lair. He craved to be really seen.

It was better everyone thought he was cool, calm and collected. Possibly emotionless. He was the swift brain and brawn of the operations. John didn't have time to be weak. Time is not an option anymore. Even Cara knew this, which is why he pushed her away as he kept the biggest secret of his life, to protect her.

Even something as small as love, an emotion he wasn't personally good with, took a back door to what matters most.

Saving lives. The mission. Nobody how many times his team was knocked down, they must get up. Dying is not an option.

"John, hey, um, it's about the girl..."

Russell moved aside so John could walk in front of him to the recovery room. John knew he was going to have to prepare a speech he rehearsed so many times for any new breakout that they find. His semi shaky hand found the door, turning it to the right.


End file.
